As Automation Fair was wrapping up yesterday, all of my Cisco colleagues were expressing gratitude to our hosts at Rockwell Automation. We want to congratulate our partners at Rockwell Automation for once again, putting on a very successful user conference. Our partnership has evolved into a truly collaborative and demonstrably successful model for joint product and solution developments, go-to-market effectiveness, industry and thought leadership, all aimed at the same goal: our mutual customers’ success.

As I blog today from the show floor at Automation Fair in the George Brown Convention Center in Houston, the second day of one of the largest industrial automation events is underway. We have had a lot of traffic and interest in the Industrial IP Advantage booth (#1223).

In fact, many booth visitors are asking us, “I get OT (or the reverse, ‘I get IT’)- how can we work together?” As my Cisco colleague Dave Cronberger mentions in the video below, the relationship has now evolved and certainly both sides see the merit of working together. Our Industrial IP Advantage community can certainly add to the conversation and give guidance on next steps in getting the most out of IT/OT convergence in order to move towards an IP-centric industrial network.

Cisco has a significant presence at Automation Fairin Houston this week. This event is not only the largest gathering of Rockwell Automation users, it is also one of the most well-attended conferences for controls and industrial automation. The day was busy both in the exhibit floor and throughout the sessions, industry forums and demonstration areas.

Well, the first day of Automation Fair 2013, Rockwell Automation’s (RA) largest user conference, is almost a wrap. The George Brown Convention Center in Houston was the setting for today’s very busy activities- at the exhibition floor, packed sessions, hand-on demonstrations and industry workshops.

As my colleagues Peter Granger and Paul Didier describe in the video below, Cisco has now evolved to having a very pervasive presence at this event. From our own booth (#1321) to presence in the Rockwell Automation Oil and Gas booth to the Industrial IP Advantage booth (#1223), our products and solutions are highlighted throughout the show floor and in several sessions. It is particularly nice to know that we have evolved from showcasing from just a few products to having over 200 switches, routers and other industrial networking gear at the show floor. And our partnership with RA has evolved and grown significantly too. There were only a handful of Cisco attendees at our first Automation Fair. Now there are several dozen Cisco employees onsite in Houston, including key executives.

Automation Fairis a can’t miss conference for leading automation, controls, operations and IT professionals. This year’s event will be held in Houston on the 13th and 14th of this month at the George R. Brown Convention Center.

As in previous years, this year’s Automation Fair will again feature industry forums that present examples and concepts different industrial companies such oil and gas producers and manufacturers have used to increase their productivity and improve the efficiency of their business. As part of our strong strategic relationship with Rockwell Automation, Cisco will once again have a significant presence at this event.

Some of the individuals posting to this site, including the moderators, work for Cisco Systems. Opinions expressed here and in any corresponding comments are the personal opinions of the original authors, not of Cisco. The content is provided for informational purposes only and is not meant to be an endorsement or representation by Cisco or any other party. This site is available to the public. No information you consider confidential should be posted to this site. By posting you agree to be solely responsible for the content of all information you contribute, link to, or otherwise upload to the Website and release Cisco from any liability related to your use of the Website. You also grant to Cisco a worldwide, perpetual, irrevocable, royalty-free and fully-paid, transferable (including rights to sublicense) right to exercise all copyright, publicity, and moral rights with respect to any original content you provide. The comments are moderated. Comments will appear as soon as they are approved by the moderator.